Loom-harness.



Patented Feb. l3, I900. W. S. LACKEY.

LOOM HARNESS (Application filed Sgpt. 11, 1899.)

(No Model.)

gmwwboz n lLL/A M 5. LACKEY NITED STATES PATENT un on- WILLIAM S. LAOKEY, OF HADDONFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

LOOM-HARNESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,509, dated February 13, 1900. Application filed September 11, 1899. fierial No. 730,185. (No model.)

To etZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. LACKEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at I-Iaddonfield, Camden county, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loom-Harness, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to loom-harness, and is designed to improve the form of heddle and its supporting means, so as to obviate many of the serious difficulties existin gin the frame as used at present.

I-Ieddles as ordinarily constructed are made of Wire and are supported in the frame by means of loops or eyes made at the ends and threaded upon a rail or bar which is supported in the frame at each end and at intermediate points by hooks. These rails or bars lessen the working space between the upper and lower cross-pieces of the frame, and thus limit the length of heddle,and the supportinghooks engaging the rail or bar at intermediate points are seriously objectionable, in that they form an obstruction in positioning the heddles and make necessary the utmost care in dividing the heddles into equal numbers between the hooks, and, further, they leave a considerable space between the heddles adjacent to each other in contact with the sides of the hook, this space being equal to the thickness of the hook or of the metal of which it is made. I aim to overcome these and many other objections by dispensing with a support for the heddle ends requiring a suspending or supporting hook or any form of fastening which will cause an obstruction in the space between the sides of the frame. To this end I have devised a heddle having instead of a loop or eye at its end an open-slotted end which permits me to use a bar or rail supported at one edge and havinga supporting edge unobstructed from end to end, thus requiring no division of the heddle into sets and securing the use of a maximum length of heddle by reason of the fact that the supportin g bar or rail may be held in the top and bottom sections of the frame. Another great advantage is obtained by this construction in that no projecting points are presented to catch the warp-threads, my improved construction presenting a frame with an unobstructed interior within the line of its walls.

In the accompanying drawings 1 have shown my improved frame in partial front elevation in Figure 1, in edge view in Fig. 2, and in Fig. 3 I have shown a detail View of one of the heddles. Fig. 4 is a detail of one corner of the frame.

The harness-frame is composed of the top and bottom pieces A with the side pieces B, forming a rectangular frame of suitable di mensions. The heddles (J, I prefer to make of wire, preferably flattened and of a single piece with the warp-eye a of any suitable shape. Instead, as heretofore, of making the ends of the heddles with a closed eye or loop I make them, as shown at b, with anopen slot, conforming to the configuration of a supporting rail or bar 0, which has a web (1, fitted to a recess or cavity in the edge of the crosspiece A, and this rail has an angular extension 6, forming a T. The side wall of the frame is preferably made of two metal strips f, extending from top to bottom of the frame, these strips being parallel to each other and leaving a space between. Into this space is fitted a strip g, and when it is desired to fill the frame with the heddles or to remove or replace them the strip g is removed, which exposes the T end of the rail or bar and permits the heddles to be threaded upon the same. I prefer to have the ends of the rails project slightly beyond the side walls, so as to more readily position the heddles thereon.

Ido not limit myself to the particular shape of the unobstructed end of the rail or bar 0 nor to the shape of the slotted end of the heddie, as these may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention, which simply requires that a support shall be furnished, rendering unnecessary any divisions in the heddles. Neither do I limit myself as to the construction of the frame, as my invention may be adapted for use in connec tion with other forms of frame with equal advantage.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to provide a heddle-frame having upper and lower bars supported so as to leave the ends free and to have the rods upon which the heddle-wires are strung connected to the free edges of these bars. I am also aware that it is old in heddles or cross-weaving to have the upper ends of the bars which are interposed between the needles slotted to engage a rod, and I do not claim so broadly as to include such constructions.

What I claim is- 1. An improved loom-harness comprising a frame,oppositely-arranged bars each supported at one edge to leave its entire opposite edge free and a series of heddles having open-slotted ends adapted to engage and be supported by said bars, substantially as described.

2. An improved loom-harness, comprisinga frame, a pair of bars each wholly supported by one edge and having its ends and opposite edge free, and a series of heddles engaging said bars and supported thereby, substantially as described.

3. An improved loom-harness comprising a frame, with parallel side bars or strips with a space between and supporting-bars for the heddles projecting into said space, each of said bars being supported wholly by one edge leaving the opposite edge free, and a removable strip between the side walls filling the space normally and adapted to be removed to allow the heddles to be threaded upon the supporting-bars, substantially as described.

4. An improved loom-harness comprising a frame, supporting bars or rails each fastened at one edge and having its opposite edge free and substantially in line with the rectangular opening formed bythe Walls of the frame and a series of heddles supported by the free edges of the bars or rails, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM S. LACKEY.

Witnesses:

HEBER L. HEIST, A. P. RUTHERFORD. 

